The Girl
by chocokat13
Summary: Clare and Eli have been through tough times, but none like this. Can their relationship really withstand anything life throws at them?
1. Eighteen

**I had a random idea for a story swimming in my head, so I decided to write it out and see if I wanted to make this a oneshot story or not. I decided, since I had a bunch of ideas for this, that it would just be a story. :) Enjoy!**

The Girl

1. Eighteen

The echo of footsteps running across the hard linoleum floor made Eli turn his head.

Panting, Adam asked, "Why aren't you in there with her?"

"She said she didn't want me to be in there," Eli retorted, turning his gaze onto the door of the hospital room.

"She probably thought you would pass out at the sight of all that blood," Adam said, grinning smugly.

"Oh please, Adam. Don't be such a child."

"Yes, _I'm_ being the child. Who's not in that room with their baby mama, again?"

Eli scowled. "You make this seem like it's all a joke. Well it's not."

Adam watched the hospital door too, then looked at Eli again. "Are you…are you guys going to keep the baby?"

"No," Eli replied harshly. "Not only are her parents furious enough that we even had sex, but if she kept the baby…"

"She's eighteen. She can do whatever she wants," Adam pointed out.

"Not when she's still living at home and certainly not when she hasn't graduated from high school yet," Eli rebuked.

"We'll just see. In the end, one of you is bound to be begging to keep that baby."

A loud scream, almost a wail, came from inside the room, and Eli tensed, hand on the doorknob, ready to go in. Silence followed after, but Eli didn't relax.

"Just go in," Adam said softly, pushing Eli's back encouragingly.

Eli grimaced and opened the door slowly, closing it behind him. He walked slowly over to the bed where Clare was lying, nurses swarming around her. Her parents sat, tired, in chairs a few feet away from her.

Eli didn't care about anybody else, though. His eyes were all for Clare, who's face was shining with sweat, her curls damp. He kneeled down next to her, taking one of her sweaty palms in his.

Clare turned to look at him with those blue eyes, her chest rising and falling quickly as she attempted to breathe through the pain. "I thought I asked you to wait outside?"

"Well I didn't listen. I'm not leaving your side," he said sincerely, squeezing her hand once.

Clare nodded quickly, then suddenly squeezed Eli's hand back, hard, gritting her teeth as a contraction overcame her. Eli didn't protest as he looked at the nurses expectantly.

"Okay Clare, we want you to push on the next one," the doctor said, lifting up Clare's legs and asking the nurses to hold them up for him.

It angered Eli, for some reason, watching them do that. He knew it was their job, but he felt like they were…violating her. She was only eighteen years old, and here she was, in pain and having loads of strangers stare at her unmentionables. It seemed utterly wrong.

Lost in his thoughts, Eli barely noticed when the doctor yelled at Clare to push, too busy keeping his eyes trained on Clare's face - how her nose was scrunching up in effort, and her eyes were squeezed tight in focus.

But he did notice when a shrill cry split the air.

His head automatically turned to look for the source of the sound, his eyes resting on the squirming red bundle in the doctor's arms. He watched as the nurses took the little thing away, wiping it down as it screamed, then wrapping it in a blanket.

"It's a girl!" a nurse announced.

The nurse carried the baby over to her mother and father, carefully placing her into Clare's arms as Eli watched in awe.

"Hi, baby," Clare cooed, staring down at her daughter, a smile breaking across her face. Randall and Helen edged over to the side of the bed Eli wasn't at, looking at the baby with blank faces, not sure what to make of her.

"What are you going to name her?" Eli breathed, mesmerized by the sight of the tiny being.

"We're not," Clare said, voice stiff as she forced the words out.

"Wait, what?" Eli asked, brow furrowing in confusion.

"We're not going to name her or else we'll get attached to her. We're not keeping her, Eli," Clare reminded him.

"But Clare, this is our baby!" Eli protested. He had promised himself he wouldn't change his thinking on the subject. He thought Clare would be the one pleading to keep her. Not him.

"We can't take care of her, Eli! I have to graduate high school, and go to university, and…and live my life! I can't have a baby on my hands," Clare told him, voice strained.

"I can take care of her during the day when you're at school and work on weekends. I already have my own apartment and everything. Please, Clare?" Eli begged.

Randall and Helen shared a look. "Clare, you know what we think about this…" Helen started to say.

Clare ignored her parents, lowering her voice so only Eli could hear her. "I can't," she said with a sigh. "My parents wouldn't even let her live with me."

"Then she can live with me. Please, Clare," Eli protested.

"I…but if we keep her, I'd like to see her too. I don't want us to seem like we're a divorced family, each of us only getting to spend a certain amount of time with her; I want us to be a real family."

_We're practically still teenagers. What kind of family can we really be? _Eli thought to himself. "Move in with me," Eli suggested quickly. Clare's eyes widened as she tore her gaze away from their daughter to look at Eli, and he continued, "You're eighteen years old. Your parents don't have a say in whether or not you can move out."

Clare opened her mouth to protest, then closed it, looking back at her daughter. Her eyes shined with longing, and finally she relented with a sigh. "All right."

Eli's face brightened. "Really?"

"How can I resist you wanting to be all fatherly?" Clare teased.

"Excuse me? Clare Edwards, we had an agreement," Helen said sharply.

"Yes. Our agreement was that no baby would be living in our house. That we'd just forget about the fact that I even had a baby."

"Right, and -"

"Well, the baby and I won't be living in that house."

"Clare Diana Edwards!"

"I'm an adult. If I want to move out, I can."

Helen and Randall glared at their daughter, then switching their gaze to their granddaughter. Helen sighed. "We'll talk about this later. Your father and I are going home for a bit of sleep. See you in the morning."

Helen and Randall opened the door, where Adam was waiting. Adam moved over to let them out, then walked in, assuming he was allowed to.

"Aw, she's adorable!" he crooned, seeing the baby.

"Can we name her now?" Eli whispered. Clare nodded, and he suggested, "Sophia?"

"I like it," Clare murmured. "Sophia…Julia."

Eli looked at her, baffled. " Julia? Are you sure?"

"The name means a lot to you, so I figure why not? Don't even protest. You got to choose her first name. I have rights to her middle name."

"She does," Adam piped up, nodding.

Eli looked at Sophia, who's eyes had opened to reveal a dark green, like her father's. "Sophia Julia Edwards."

"No. Goldsworthy. Sophia Julia Goldsworthy."

**Author's Note: I'm not usually one for stories about Clare and Eli having a baby at a young age because Clare just doesn't seem like that kind of girl. But when I think back on it, a lot of girls are like that, but just one time and you can get pregnant. So that's what happened with Clare. She had sex with Eli only once and got pregnant, and since she's Christian, abortion was not an option. Basically I wrote this to show Eli and his tender side, rather than showing Clare out of her usual character. I hope you guys liked it all the same. Review, please! :) **


	2. Paths

**This chapter was pretty fun to write. I hope you all enjoy it. :)**

2. Paths

"Here we are. It's not as big as a house, but it's got two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room," Eli announced as he opened the door to their apartment, leading the way in.

Clare shuffled after him, placing Sophia(in her carrier) on the kitchen countertop. "It's just right. My father said he'd drive over with all of my stuff later. We just need to decorate Sophia's room now."

Eli nodded. "I didn't set up the crib yet so we could paint the walls. Our first task as a family," Eli remarked, smirking.

"We're not painting her room black, are we?" Clare asked cautiously.

"No. We're painting it white," Eli informed her, getting the paint cans he had bought out of the fridge.

"Fine with me!" Clare chimed, checking to make sure Sophia was actually sleeping before finding the rollers and pans. She followed Eli to Sophia's room, which was relatively big for a small apartment.

Eli cracked open the cans of paint, pouring them into the pans. "Time for the fun part," Eli said, turning on the radio on the floor.

They dipped their rollers in the pans and slathered the paint all over the walls in every which way, Clare dancing to the music as she skipped from one side of the room to the other.

Eli chuckled to himself as he watched his girlfriend, seeming lost in her own little happy place. "Having fun?"

"Absolutely!" Clare chirped, grinning at Eli.

"…Are you fond of the clothes you're wearing?" Eli asked curiously.

"Not really. Why?" Clare replied cautiously.

A devious grin crossed Eli's face as she slowly sauntered over to Clare, paint roller behind his back.

"Eli, no," Clare warned, backing away from him.

"Eli, yes," Eli laughed, waving the roller in the air and splattering his girlfriend with white drops of paint.

"No!" Clare cried, though she started giggling as she ran around the room, Eli chasing her.

Eli's arms latched around her waist at last, pulling her close to him. He held up the roller, smirked, and then rolled it down her leg and back up again.

"Eli, no!" Clare squealed, laughing.

Eli leaned down to kiss her neck softly, and Clare tilted her neck back, exposing the soft flesh there.

Suddenly Eli backed away, staring down at the front of his shirt. He looked up at Clare, raising his eyebrows.

Clare laughed into her hand, holding up the roller that she had used to paint Eli's black shirt white.

"You devious little…" Eli began to accuse when they heard a wail coming from the kitchen.

Clare hurried out of the room, leaving Eli to finish painting. He was a little annoyed that their moment had been ruined, but Sophia comes first now.

Clare ran over to where Sophia was crying in her carrier, wide green eyes shining with tears. Clare carefully grabbed the baby under her armpits and pulled her out of the carrier, holding Sophia against her chest and bobbing gently up and down on her feet, trying to soothe the baby.

When Sophia continued to cry, Clare sighed in frustration. She walked over to the couch, sitting herself down carefully and pulling down one side of her shirt, adjusting Sophia's head so she could wrap her mouth around her mother's nipple.

Clare grimaced as Sophia began suckling; it wasn't the most pleasant feeling in the world, and the thought of having to do this everyday for the next few months made Clare groan inwardly.

"So, when do I get a turn?" Eli asked, sitting down next to Clare and smirking.

"Don't be such a pervert, Eli," Clare grumbled.

"Me? A pervert?" Eli gasped, eyes widening in mock horror.

Clare rolled her eyes, looking down at Sophia who was kneading her hand against Clare's breast as she suckled. Clare slowly moved Sophia away, propping her up carefully on her knee and patting her gently on the back.

"You're a pretty good mother," Eli remarked.

"I would hope so," Clare replied, nodding in satisfaction when a tiny burp emitted from Sophia's mouth.

"…Can I hold her?" Eli asked quietly.

Clare looked at Eli in surprise; he hadn't tried to hold Sophia since she was born, but that might have been due to the fact that there were always so many visitors that he never got the chance to.

Clare carefully handed Sophia over to Eli, and he cradled her close to his chest, smiling down at his daughter. "Hi, Soph. I'm your daddy. I can't do half the things your mother can do for you, but I hope you'll grow to like me."

Clare smiled again faintly as a knock sounded on their door. Getting up from the couch slowly and fixing her shirt, she opened the door, then staring at her father.

"I brought your stuff," he said curtly, letting himself in, a box of clothes in his arms. "There's more in the car…" Randall's eyes rested on Eli and Sophia, and his face suddenly loosened making him look older and tired.

"You can put them all in Eli's - our - my room," Clare corrected herself, face flushing slightly. "The room to the right."

Randall nodded slowly, walking away to drop off the box in the room, then heading back out to his car to get more.

Clare sat back down next to Eli, watching him cuddle Sophia while her father brought in the boxes, occasionally baby-talking to her daughter.

"If I was her, I would hate you for talking to me like that. Why don't you talk to her like she's a normal human being?" Eli asked Clare, taking his eyes off Sophia to look at his girlfriend.

Clare shrugged. "It's how most people talk to babies."

"Well it's annoying. Talk to her like you talk to normal people."

Clare wrinkled her nose, then tickled Sophia's chest with one finger. The baby smiled, trying to wrap her fingers around her mother's. "What are you doing? Why do you want my finger?" Clare cooed.

Eli rolled his eyes. "I guess that's better."

"That's all the stuff we packed. If you're missing anything, just call," Randall announced.

Clare looked up at her father. "I will."

Randall stood in the middle of the kitchen, watching the little family on the couch, his face contorting in different emotions. Pain. Loss. Recognition. Remembrance. Longing. Even joy.

"I remember when we first brought you home from the hospital, Clarebear," Randall said quietly. "Darcy kept begging to see you, and me and your mother could never put you down for two seconds without you crying to be picked up and get all the attention again."

"Clare? Attention-seeking?" Eli scoffed, chuckling.

Randall narrowed his eyes at Eli, and Clare quickly cut in. "I know, it's ridiculous to imagine. Thanks for sharing that story though, Dad."

"Have you guys gotten all of the necessities for Sophia yet?" Randall asked.

Clare shook her head. "We're going shopping tomorrow, after Eli gets off work."

"Ah. Where will she be sleeping tonight?"

"We just finished painting her room, so she'll have to sleep in our room in her carrier tonight," Eli told him.

"Paint fumes. Not the best around a baby," Randall remarked dryly.

"That's why she's sleep in our room," Clare said, an edge to her voice. "Dad, please stop trying to tell us how to take care of our daughter."

"You're not even old enough to be raising a kid!" Randall exploded. "You shouldn't be living with your boyfriend at eighteen years old with a baby to raise! We raised you better than this, Clare! How did you steer so far off of your path?"

"You're the one who laid down my path for me!" Clare said shrilly, jumping to her feet. "It was always how you and mom wanted me to be!"

"Clare Edwards, I am not having this argument with you," Randall replied, voice raising.

"Stop it!" Eli hissed, and both of them turned to look at him. "She doesn't like how loud you're both being. You're going to make her cry," he continued, looking down at Sophia who's face was contorted, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

Randall's lips pressed into a thin line, and weariness seemed to come over Clare. She looked at her father, then whispered, "You should go."

He nodded curtly, giving Eli and Sophia a long glance before walking out of the apartment door, careful to close the door quietly on the way out.

**Review, please! :)**


	3. Exercise

**Sorry I took awhile for a new chapter! I had a bit of Writer's Block. Enjoy!**

3. Exercise

"So, where's the baby?" Alli asked the moment Clare opened the door.

"Sitting happily in her car seat and waiting for Daddy to come home from work," Clare told her best friend, moving aside so Alli could come in.

Alli walked over to the carrier on the kitchen counter, smiling widely when she saw Sophia. "Hi, baby! Hi! Who's a cute baby? Who's a wittle baby?"

"Don't let Eli hear you talking to her like that," Clare warned. "He already gave me a lecture for it yesterday."

Alli laughed loudly. "Of course Eli is against being a normal parent."

"May I remind you that we can only be such a normal family at eighteen and nineteen years old?"

"So when does Father Eli come home?" Alli asked, sitting down on the couch in the living room.

"About ten minutes, I believe." Clare picked Sophia up from her car seat, cradling the baby to her chest as she sat down next to Alli.

"Good. Then you all can come to my house to pick up some things."

Clare's eyebrows raised. "What things?"

"I bought you some exercise tools to help you lose that baby fat," Alli joked, poking Clare's stomach gently.

"And Eli and Sophia have to come with me to pick them up?"

"Don't question, just do!" Alli chirped.

Clare rolled her eyes. "All right, but I can't help but be suspicious."

"Just trust me, Clare, for once in your life?"

"Alli, I trust you. You just have a…rash way of thinking sometimes. Makes me cautious."

"Oh please. It's not like I'm going to lead you to your death."

Clare opened her mouth to say something when the door of the apartment opened, and Eli pushed his way through, loaded down with bags.

"I bought diapers!" he announced, then saw Alli. "Oh, hi, Alli."

"Pleasure to see you too," Alli said, rolling her eyes and smiling slightly.

"Eli, drop those off in Sophia's room. Apparently we all have to truck out to Alli's house to get some exercise equipment?"

Eli just dropped the bags on the floor, striding over to them. "For whom?" he asked, ducking down and kissing Sophia on the top of her head. "Hi, baby girl," he whispered, then stood up and looked at Clare.

"For me."

"And why do you feel the need to exercise? You're just fine they way you are, Clare," Eli scoffed, a smirk playing on his lips.

Clare blushed. "I…Alli insisted…"

Eli sighed. "Fine. Let's just go then."

Clare nodded tiredly, standing up and placing Sophia back in her carrier, buckling her up and lifting it up slowly. Alli bounced around behind them, following them out of the door and out to Eli's car. Clare latched Sophia in the back, sitting next to her while Eli took the driver's seat and Alli the passenger seat.

"Where am I supposed to park?" Eli asked with a frown, driving slowly down Alli's street.

"There are so many cars parked in front of your house…" Clare murmured.

"Weird. Park around the corner, I guess," Alli answered nonchalantly, instructing Eli to a parking spot.

They parked, and Eli and Clare followed Alli to the front door of her house, Eli lugging Sophia who was starting to doze off in her car seat.

Alli opened the front door, and the moment they all stepped in, sounds of laughter reached their ears.

"Oh, everyone! They're here!" a voice announced, and Clare stared at around the Bhandaris' living room, which was decorated with 'It's A Girl' banners and pink balloons.

"Is this a baby shower?" Eli asked, his expression unreadable.

Clare laughed. This wasn't something Eli would be particularly interested in - most guys weren't.

"Don't you look excited!" Adam said, grinning wryly as he greeted the family.

"Ah, of course you would be here," Eli replied, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, and what are you implying?" Adam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Most guys don't find baby showers interesting."

"Don't be a jerk just because you're going to be bored for the next few hours, Elijah."

Alli turned to look at Clare. "Saved you from having to go shopping today, didn't I?" she said with a beam. Clare smiled and nodded.

"Lynnie, come here," Jenna called, reaching her arms out to grab a little blonde toddler that was stumbling around the room and giggling.

"Lynn, listen to your mother," K.C. told the little girl sternly.

Lynn ran up to Clare and looked up at her with wide brown eyes. "Cware!" she grinned, then noticed the baby in the carrier. "Baby," she whispered in awe, her wide eyes growing wider.

"Hi Lynnie," Clare cooed. She looked at Eli, gesturing that she wanted to get over to the couch but couldn't.

Eli nodded, and a playful look came over his face. "Come 'ere, you!" he growled, picking up Lynn and spinning her around a few times. She laughed hysterically, and Clare carefully pushed her way over to the couch, slowly sitting down next to Fiona and placing Sophia's car seat down next to her.

"Isn't it nice to be dating somebody that squeals over the same things you do?" Clare asked Fiona tiredly.

Fiona shrugged. "How was Sophia last night?"

"Actually pretty good. She only woke up once," Clare told her.

"Well that's good," Fiona agreed.

"Lynn was a little monster," Jenna piped up. "She wouldn't sleep for more than three hours at a time. Pray that Sophia sleeps through entire nights!"

Clare laughed. "I do, because I know I'll be the one getting up to take care of her!"

"I find it so strange how nonchalantly you two can discuss having children, as if you aren't _teenage_ mothers," Fiona remarked.

"Why aren't you in college, again?" Jenna muttered.

Fiona made a face at Jenna but didn't say answer her.

Eli dropped Lynn onto her mother's lap, flopping down next to Clare. "Okay, let's open presents and then get out of here," he grunted.

Clare rolled her eyes, bending over to take Sophia out of her carrier, holding the baby close to her.

"Eli has a point. This can't be much of a baby shower since the baby is already born, so we'll just shower them with gifts!" Alli said in a sing-songy voice. "I'll go first." Picking up a large wrapped box from on top of a pile, she handed it to Eli, who had been designated the gift opener.

"Teething toys…rattle…blanket…some onesies…thanks, Alli," Clare thanked, watching Eli open the present from over his shoulder.

Eli nodded his thanks, placing everything back in the box and closing the lid.

"Mm, my turn! I didn't buy you guys a single cheap thing - Sophia deserves so much better than the average baby. I'm going to spoil her rotten," Fiona informed them, pointing out to them which presents were from her.

Alli passed Eli four boxes, and Eli stared at them in awe before ripping off the wrapping paper to reveal many sparkly pink dresses in one, a rocker that they could set up at home, a bunch of bibs and more onesies, and a tiny bathtub.

"Fiona, you didn't have to buy so much," Clare began to protest.

"Trust me, it was no skin off my back," Fiona reassured her with a smile. "And some of those dresses are homemade. Designing class is paying off; so much better than anything I could get at college."

"Okay, mine and Jenna's gifts now," K.C. said.

"And Lynnie!" Lynn added with a grin.

"We bought some more practical things," Jenna informed them as Eli unwrapped the large box.

"A breast-feeding pump," Eli stated, staring at the box.

"There's more, no worries dude," K.C. said, handing him another box. "Jenna just thought Clare would need it to make bottles for when you're alone with Sophia, which come in that kit, I think."

"That's very thoughtful. Thanks, Jenna," Clare said graciously, rocking Sophia slowly to sleep in her arms.

Eli opened the second gift. "Mittens, socks, hats, more bottles and tops, and pajamas. Thanks, everybody," Eli thanked, nodding his head to each of them. "We should be going though. Sophia can only spend so many nights in her car seat."

"Oh come on, Eli. Let's just hang out with our friends for another half hour. We'll only get so many nights out," Clare begged.

"Yeah. I might never get to see you guys anymore," Adam added.

Eli sighed, looking at his daughter's sleeping body. "All right. But only a half hour more."

Clare smiled, leaning forward carefully to kiss his cheek. "Thank you."

"No problem," Eli muttered, leaning back in the couch and closing his eyes, keeping in a groan. Maybe K.C. or Adam could him preoccupied through this dreadful party. Maybe.

**Hope you guys liked the chapter. Review, please! :)**


	4. Responsibility

**A random chapter, not quite happy or sad. Hope ya'll like it! **

4. Responsibility

Eli woke up alone in his bed, and he was confused for a moment before realizing Clare had gone to school. Stretching slowly, he pushed himself up from the bed, wiping his eyes as he trudged to Sophia's room to check up on her.

"Hi, cutie," he whispered, coming over to her new crib and rubbing Sophia's stomach. She stared at him with her wide green eyes, mouth slightly open and an expression of wonderment on her face.

"Why didn't you cry and wake me up? Did Mommy take care of you for me?" Eli asked out loud, though he knew the baby wouldn't answer him. "She didn't have to do that. She must not trust me."

Eli smirked to himself, taking his daughter out of her crib and carrying her into the living room. He laid a blanket on the ground, placing Sophia on her back on it and then sprawling out next to her. He turned on the television to the news, watching as they talked about a shooting in Montreal.

He realized, while hearing the story and watching his daughter suck on her tiny fingers, that he had so much to worry about now. What if the shooter came to Toronto? What if he came near this neighborhood? Near his baby? What if he hurt Sophia?

It was wild, far-fetched, and probably never going to happen. But he couldn't help but be protective for the lives of his daughter and girlfriend. He was responsible for more than just his own life now, and he prayed he would be able to take all of this responsibility thrown at him all at once.

"I won't let anyone come near you, Sophie. You'll hate me for it when you're older and want to start dating, but I'll just be looking out for you," Eli whispered, tickling Sophia's stomach.

The baby thrashed around slightly, a smile on her face. Eli laughed and kissed her on her forehead, eyeing Sophia for a moment before heading to Sophia's room to grab her mittens. He slipped one mitten on one of her hands, and she grabbed one of his fingers with the other, fixing her eyes on Eli's.

He had hoped the baby would have Clare's beautiful blue eyes instead of his own dark green. It wasn't that he didn't want to be associated with his own child; Clare's blue eyes brought them together, and he would have loved if her trait had been passed on.

Eli shook his finger out of Sophia's hand, covering hers with the other mitten. "I love you, Soph," he whispered.

The next five hours he spent taking care if Sophia; feeding her, changing her diaper, and playing with her. She barely cried the entire time - in fact, when she wanted something, only a disgruntled expression crossed her face. Eli would laugh and tend to her needs as best as he could.

"I'm home! Where's my babies?" Clare called, opening the door to find Eli feeding Sophia a bottle on the couch.

"If I were a baby, I don't think I'd be taking care of a baby myself," Eli countered, pulling the bottle gently away from Sophia's mouth.

Clare dropped her backpack on the ground, sitting down next to Eli on the couch. "Here, give me her. I'll burp her."

Eli passed Sophia over to her mother, who started to gently tap the baby on her back. "Shouldn't somebody be starting on their homework?" Eli asked, raising an eyebrow.

"_Somebody _thinks that Baby Daddy needs a break," Clare informed him as Sophia emit a tiny gargled burp.

"You make it sound like I can't handle being a father. This is some easy stuff, Blue Eyes," Eli told her, nodding.

"It won't always be," Clare said sternly.

"You lie."

"Eli, I'm serious. Life isn't fun and games."

"You think I don't know that, Clare? Considering everything I've been through, I think I deserve to joke around and goof off just a bit," Eli muttered, avoiding Clare's eyes by averting his to Sophia.

Clare also looked down at Sophia, sighing quietly. "I know, and I'm sorry. I just…I want Sophia to be raised as properly as she can be."

"Joking around with each other does not affect how Sophia grows up," Eli said dryly.

"If we don't buckle down and really try to make sure we're doing this right, then yes, it _will_ affect how she grows up," Clare said firmly.

Eli stood up suddenly, eyes narrowed, but after a few moments of just glaring at Clare, he ran an awkward hand through his hair and sighed. Clare watched him warily, Eli now averting his eyes back to his daughter.

"She's already going to have a hard life ahead of her. I just want to make it better in any possible way I can," Clare told him softly after a long moment of silence.

"…I know. I do too," Eli whispered, sitting back down on the couch and hiding his face in his hands.

"Look at us. Nothing bad has even happened and we're bickering," Clare chuckled humorlessly.

After another moment of silence, Eli asked the question that was on both of their minds. "Are we even fit to do this?"

"I want to believe that we are, I really do. But we're just…we're so young…"

"…Do you regret moving in with me? Or, regret keeping Sophia?" Eli murmured.

Clare hesitated, trying to come up with an answer. "No," she finally responded. Eli raised an eyebrow at her, and she continued, "I think I would have killed myself if I was stuck with my divorced parents any longer. I thought that keeping the house and having them switch back and forth with who lived with me would be the best possible choice…but it was honestly as horrible as me having to switch back and forth between them. I am incredibly glad that I live away from them."

"Are you implying that you used me to get away from your parents?"

"No, Eli," Clare groaned. "You're such a pessimist!"

"Yeah, I am," Eli replied, smirking.

Clare looked down at Sophia now, who she had been cradling against her chest. "She's sleeping," Clare whispered.

"I'll take her," Eli mumbled, extending his arms and carefully taking the baby out of her mother's arms. He stood up, carrying her to her bedroom.

The room was starting to fill; there was a shiny white crib, which had soft blankets and a duvet in it, along with one stuffed bear. There were cheap weaved dressers the held Sophia's clothes, accessories, and such, and a few framed photos on the wall of Eli, Clare, and their families, along with a few of their closest friends.

Eli slowly placed Sophia in her crib, covering her tiny body with a thin blanket. "I love you, Sophie. You sleep good, okay?" he whispered, rubbing the thin hairs on her head gently. Sophia made almost little grunting sounds, her fingers moving a little before she started to snore lightly.

Watching her was like watching a little miracle for Eli. He had never expected Clare to stay with him this long, much less ever see himself a father. Even if they were young, Eli realized he was now almost glad Clare had bore him a daughter; Sophia may very well be the only child he'll ever have.

He didn't believe in God, but something, some higher being, must have granted him the wish he made after Julia died. That his life would eventually unwind and give him some happiness, some sort of climax where nothing bad happened to him.

His little fight with Clare just now scared him. He feared that he was starting to come down from that climax. It had begun once he found Clare, but he it started to descend when Sophia was conceived?

Maybe. Maybe not.

But he hoped, he really did, that Sophia would more so tie him and Clare together then break them apart. It was a rare case, but he couldn't help but wish for it to all turn out in their favor. Eli wanted to have a life he could look back on and be proud of. He wanted to be able to tell Sophia stories about the joy, not craziness, that she brought to him and Clare and all the people around them.

**Review please! :)**


	5. Four Months Later

**Author's Note: I decided it would be boring playing out Sophia's first few months, when she won't be doing anything and there won't be too many scenarios I could write about. So, like the title of the chapter states, this will take place four months after Sophia's birth. :D**

5. Four Months Later

"Eli! Eli, go get the camera!" Clare's voice called from Sophia's room.

Eli practically jumped off of the couch, stumbling to his room and running to Clare with the camera. "What is it?" he breathed. "What is she doing?"

"Look," she practically hissed, staring intently at their daughter and not moving a muscle.

Sophia was slowly pulling herself across the room - crawling almost, except not quite. She was dragging herself on her belly while pulling herself forward with her arms, which looked quite unusual to Eli.

"Is that…normal?" Eli asked quietly.

"It's commando crawling. Most babies don't do it…but the more precocious ones might."

"Our baby's a genius," Eli said with a smile. "Just like her mother."

Clare smiled too, turning on the camera and snapping a few pictures of Sophia. The startled baby swung her head to look at the source of the flash, her green eyes fixing on Clare and the camera.

"What are you looking at, silly baby?" Eli murmured teasingly, and Sophia turned at the sound of her father's voice. A smile spread across her face, and she laughed loudly.

"Yeah, you are silly!" Eli responded to her laugh, and she smiled at him, enough so that he could see her little pink tongue.

"Sophia! Sophia, stop looking at your goofball daddy and come to Momma!" Clare chimed, sticking her tongue out at Eli.

He rolled his eyes, but watched as Sophia carefully let herself fall on her stomach, then slowly rolled onto her back. Clare snapped a picture quickly, then crawled over to Sophia's side.

"Who's the baby?" she cooed, tickling Sophia's stomach with her finger tips. Sophia giggled, as did Clare. "Her laughter is contagious."

Eli smiled, kneeling down next to Clare. "You crazy baby," he laughed, raspberrying Sophia's cheek. She laughed even harder, then stopped suddenly, staring up at her parents with wide eyes.

"Somebody must need a diaper change," Eli joked, looking expectantly at Clare.

Clare rolled her eyes but picked Sophia up and placed her on her changing table. "Eli, keep her distracted, please? You know how she is."

Eli nodded, coming over and gently holding Sophia's hands in his own. "Hi, Soph. Look at me, baby." He continued to coo to her as Clare changed her diaper. Sophia's eyes stayed on her father's face, occasionally moving to her father's grip on her hands.

"Okay, done," Clare breathed, wrinkling her nose as she dropped the dirty diaper into the waste bin.

"All rightie. Come here, Princess," Eli grunted, lifting Sophia off of the table and holding her to his chest. He bounced on the balls of his feet, softly talking to the baby.

"Who's Daddy's little girl?" Clare chuckled, moving behind Eli and affectionately poking Sophia's tiny nose.

"Knock, knock!" a voice called from the front room.

Eli led the way out of the bedroom, stopping and staring at the visitor when they had reached the front room. "Adam?"

"Hello to you, too," Adam replied dryly.

"Adam, hey," Clare said warmly, hugging Adam quickly.

"See, that's a way better welcome," Adam told Eli, and Eli rolled his eyes.

"So, what brings you to our humble abode?" Clare asked, tilting her head to the side in a curious manner.

"I wanted to see my soon-to-be goddaughter," Adam informed her, nodding slightly.

"Baptism isn't what makes her your goddaughter. It's because we said so," Eli grumbled.

"Stop being a crabby atheist, Eli," Clare chastised him.

"Are you sure the Church will even baptize Sophia? You guys are teenage parents…and they are against sex before marriage…"

"Then we say I'm in the military and we got married and had a kid before I got shipped off to war. Piece of cake," Eli answered him.

"Eli, we are not lying to the Church!" Clare protested.

"I don't even see why we're getting Sophia baptized."

"Because it's my religion, and I want my daughter to be apart of it."

"_Our _daughter," Eli corrected her. "And I do think Adam has a point."

"The Church cannot deny the right for a baby to be baptized!"

"Where are we even having the party afterwards?"

"Eli, I have everything planned out," Clare responded, and Eli could see she was getting annoyed. "We have a meeting with my parish on Saturday to set the date for hopefully the Sunday after next. Darcy is flying in -"

"Your sister is flying in from Kenya to come to her niece's _baptism_?"

"Damn it, Eli! Just…just stop judging my decisions and let me handle everything!" Clare shouted in frustration, pushing past him and going into their bedroom, slamming the door behind them.

"Eek. Somebody's moody," Adam remarked, his gaze lingering on the bedroom door before returning to Eli and Sophia.

"She's been like that a lot lately," Eli sighed, shifting his weight to a different foot. "I better go check on her, though. Can you take Sophia?"

Adam nodded, and Eli carefully handed off Sophia to his friend, making sure Adam had a firm grip on her before opening his bedroom door. Eli closed it quietly behind him and stood near the door, watching Clare.

She had her back to him, her head down, sitting on the edge of the bed. She wasn't making a sound, though you could tell she was obviously upset.

The room crackled with tension, neither of them sure who would break the silence. Eli was considering leaving when Clare whispered, "It's just so hard."

"What is?" Eli asked.

"Doing…this. All of this. When I pictured myself with a family…it wasn't like this. I didn't expect to have a baby until I was at least in my late twenties. I sometimes pictured you as my husband, sometimes I didn't. I didn't think I would have a baby while in my senior year of high school."

"I didn't see myself with a family at all," Eli murmured, sitting down next to her. "I didn't think I would be lucky enough to have a wife and child."

"Eli, you are an amazing person. You're caring and smart…I'm the lucky one, because I have you. Though I know I don't always show my appreciation for you," Clare told him quietly, looking down at her lap.

"Clare…like I said when we brought Sophia home, I can't and don't do half of the things you do for Sophia. I should be more grateful of you. I was the one who wanted this, who made you go through raising a baby these past four months and not being able to contribute too much -"

"You provided us with a house and an income! You can't say that you don't do anything for this family!"

"Oh…about my job…" Eli hesitated, watching as Clare's unreadable expression changed to one of concern. "Don't worry, I still have it. Bullfrog would kill the managers if they fired me after everything he did to get me a job there. We're just…we're running low on money, so I'll have to start working late shifts every night."

Clare watched him cautiously. "Why did you wait so long to tell me? I wouldn't be making all of these plans for Sophia's baptism if our budget was tight…"

"You have to pay the Church to baptize a baby?" Eli asked incredulously.

"No, but they stress the fact that we should donate money to them."

Eli snorted. "Typical…so you don't mind that I'll be working late shifts?"

"Of course not! Whatever you need to do, you do…as long as you don't break the law. Or worse - the ten commandments." Clare chuckled nervously, laughing at her attempt to be funny.

Eli smirked at her. "Oh, all the things I've done that you wouldn't approve of."

Clare's eyebrows raised questioningly, but she didn't ask him anything. "I'll continue to feed and change Sophia in the mornings before I go to school so you can sleep in a bit, but I'll be turning the baby monitor on high. You can't just sleep through her crying."

Eli rolled his eyes. "Oh, fine. In exchange, I'll try not to complain too much about this whole baptism thing."

Clare his lips broke into a smile. "Thank you." She turned and kissed his cheek quickly, but as she was about to stand up, Eli took her hand, stopping her. She looked at him in confusion for a minute, but then he cupped her chin in one of his hands, pulling her face towards his. Eli paused for a second, and then kissed her lips softly.

Clare brought a hand to his cheek, and they sat there for awhile, kissing slowly, holding each other.

"Hey guys? Soph is giving me this look, and I don't like it…" Adam's voice called from the living room.

Eli sighed and pulled away from Clare, pushing himself to his feet and leaving Clare sitting alone in the bedroom, dazed.

**Hope you all liked it! Review, please! :)**


	6. Christian

**I apologize that I haven't updated in awhile! I've had a lot of homework and stuff to deal with, and not to mention a bit of writer's block. But here's a random chapter for you all to read until I can write something more plotty!**

6. Christian

"Okay, let's all pile into Morty," Eli grumbled as they left the Church.

"Don't I feel so Christian, getting into a hearse after my child has been baptized," Clare said sardonically with a roll of her eyes.

Eli opened the passenger side for Clare, and she buckled Sophia into her car seat. "You know, I don't approve of Sophia being in her car seat in the front seat," Clare mumbled.

"You've only said that a hundred times."

"I'm going to keep saying it until you get a new car."

"I am not replacing Morty."

"Not even if your child's safety is on the line?"

"Clare, please stop exaggerating the situation."

"I'm not."

"You _are. _Now can we please end this discussion? Unless you want to be arguing all through Sophia's party."

Clare huffed in annoyance but turned to stare out the window as they drove.

"Now, where is this party again?"

"Darcy said she was throwing it at my parents' house. Classy, I know."

"Hey, we couldn't afford anything better, so don't knock her for trying to do something," Eli remarked.

"I didn't say I didn't appreciate what she was doing."

"Are your parents even okay with this? We haven't exactly heard from them in over four months."

"Darcy said everything was settled and not to worry about a thing," Clare informed him.

"Okay…" Eli trailed off, turning onto Clare's old street.

There were some cars already gathered outside, and Eli had to park around the corner in order to find a parking space large enough for Morty. Clare got herself and Sophia out of the hearse, heading up the front steps of the house that was so familiar to her, yet so distant in her memory.

_I wonder why my parents even kept this house after I left, _Clare wondered.

The door opened suddenly, and Clare had to keep herself from jumping. "There's my niece!" Darcy's thrilled voice exclaimed. "Oh. And my baby sister." Darcy made her voice sound flat when she said that, and Clare rolled her eyes.

"Hi to you too, Darc," Clare mumbled.

Darcy moved away from the doorway to let Clare in, and Clare trudged into the house, placing Sophia's carrier momentarily on the ground.

"So, you're graduating in two weeks. Are you excited?" Darcy asked, unbuckling Sophia from her carrier and cradling her niece to her chest.

Clare shrugged. "I suppose. I'm glad I'm finally done with it so that I don't have to juggle Sophia and school."

Darcy nodded absent-mindedly. "You know, I always suspected that I would be the first of the two of us to have a kid. I guess you beat me to the punch, didn't you?"

Clare made a face. "You think I'm not ashamed of that fact?"

Darcy bounced up and down on the balls of her feet while Sophia played with a strand of her hair. "I didn't necessarily mean that to be a bad thing. I'm just stating something."

"Well, I'm not proud that I have a baby at this age."

"But I'm proud of how we've raised her so far," Eli added, closing the door behind him and taking off his boots.

"Aha, now comes my…brother-in-law?" Darcy questioned the term.

Eli's nose wrinkled up slightly. "I prefer the father to your niece."

Darcy shrugged. "Whatever. Everybody's in the living room, Clare. Warning - Mom and Dad are here. Try to avoid them, because they're already mad at just being in each other's presence."

Clare's eyes widened, but her chin stuck up in what seemed like determination, and Eli couldn't help but smile. Clare had this newfound confidence in her that had started after Sophia was born. She had already experienced the worse in her book, and was therefore ready to face anything.

Eli followed Clare into the living room, looking around the room at the few guests that had arrived before the little family.

The only people that were there were Clare's closest relatives, the ones that had embraced Sophia with open arms. Clare's parents were standing stock-straight in separate corners, lips pressed into firm lines and not saying a word.

"Who are we still expecting?" Clare asked Darcy quietly.

"Just your friends, I believe," Darcy answered her.

"Clarebear!" an older lady called from the sofa. She smiled, showing off her false teeth.

"Hello, Grandma," Clare said, returning the smile.

Clare had been completely surprised that her grandmother was so open to Clare having a baby at her age, but as the elderly woman had put it, _"I was afraid that I wouldn't even have a grandbaby by the time I died! Why wouldn't I love Sophia?"_

"Where's my granddaughter?" Mrs. Edwards squinted her eyes and searched the room. "Darcy, honey, stop hogging the baby."

A few people in the room snickered as Darcy's cheeks flushed slightly, and she made her way over to her grandmother and passed the baby to her.

Mrs. Edwards's face brightened, her mouth widening in an O shape. "Hi little baby," she crooned, tickling under the baby's chin. Sophia giggled, sticking her tongue out.

Helen watched her ex-mother-in-law, eyebrows furrowing. How could this woman be okay with Clare being a mother? Was she not religious at all? Was she not the one who taught Randall everything he knew about Christianity and religion? So why was she okay with this?

The sound of the doorbell ringing made Clare look away from her daughter and grandmother. She beat Darcy to the door, opening it and then taking a step back when the person literally attacked her.

"Clare!" Alli squealed, throwing her arms around her best friend.

Adam rolled his eyes, his arm around Fiona's waist and Fiona carrying the presents. "You make it seem like you haven't seen her in months," Adam mumbled.

"Alli? What are you doing here?" Clare asked, brow furrowing.

"Just because I don't share your religion doesn't mean I'm going to miss out on a chance to spoil my almost-goddaughter," Alli told her with a nod. "Speaking of which, where is the baby?"

"With my grandmother. You'll have to wait your turn," Clare explained. Alli mouthed, "Oh," and walked into the house so Fiona and Adam could come in.

Clare closed the door and followed her friends into the living room.

"Grim party," Fiona murmured, looking around the silent room.

"We can't exactly booze it up here, Fi," Adam muttered back to her.

"Um…then how about we open presents and then have cake? There is a cake, right?" Alli suggested, looking at Clare, then Darcy.

Darcy nodded. "Good idea. Presents and cake."

Clare sat down next to her grandmother on the couch, tickling Sophia's stomach a little before Darcy dropped a bunch of gifts at Clare's feet. Eli hovered behind the couch, intending on watching Clare open presents over her shoulder.

Clare was about to reach down and grab the presents at her feet when Fiona pushed her bag of gifts into Clare's arms. "Open ours first!" she squealed.

Clare raised her eyebrows at Fiona and Adam, but opened the first gift, a tiny little white box. "Fiona is this…is this real gold?" Clare gasped, fingering the tiny golden cross.

Fiona nodded, grinning widely. "I bought it, but Adam picked it out."

"Please do not associate me with finding jewelry," Adam muttered to his girlfriend, who giggled and kissed his cheek, causing Adam to blush.

"Mine next!" Alli chimed, pointing to the other present left in the bag.

"I'm getting there, hold on!" Clare laughed, handing the necklace to Eli to hold. Clare quickly unwrapped the box to find a fancy little dress.

"For Sophia to wear to graduation," Alli explained. "I'm going to assume your family will be there to support you?" Alli shot a glance at Eli, then at Mrs. Edwards and Sophia.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you!" Darcy exclaimed, smacking herself on the forehead as everybody turned to look at her. "I've finished all of my work in Kenya. They're allowing me to come back, if I want to."

"That's amazing, Darc!" Clare replied, her eyes lighting up.

"Mom, since I know you guys hate living in this house without Clare…can I live here?" Darcy asked, turning to look at both of her parents.

"You better be paying rent," Helen said coldly.

Darcy rolled her eyes, ignoring her mother's tone. "Of course."

"Will you both be switching off living here with Darcy like you did with me?" Clare asked, addressing her parents.

"I presume so, unless Helen is finally going to buy her own apartment," Randall responded dryly, and Clare flinched. A fight would be coming now.

"What are you trying to say?" Helen shot back.

"I'm saying I don't appreciate you living in my place, even if we're not together. There's no point anymore, so why don't you stop being lazy and find your own?"

"Excuse me? You do not tell me how to live my life! Do I need to remind you that we are divorced?" Helen gasped.

"Okay! I think the party's over!" Darcy shouted over them, clapping her hands together once.

The disgruntled relatives pulled themselves up from their seats, filing out of the house with mumbled goodbyes. Clare watched them go, fighting back the annoyance she felt towards her parents.

Alli rubbed her arm awkwardly, glancing down at Fiona and Adam. "We should be going too. We'll see you soon," Alli said slowly to Clare.

Fiona pushed herself off of the couch, taking Adam's hand and pulling him up. "Make sure to send me a picture of Sophia wearing the necklace!" Fiona called over her shoulder as they too fled the house.

Once the door had closed, Clare whipped around to look at her parents. "You couldn't stop for just half an hour?" Clare remarked dryly.

"Do not use that tone with us," Helen warned her, but Clare interjected quickly.

"I know you don't approve of what I've done, or what I'm doing. I know you don't want to support a daughter who went against everything you raised her to be, but for the things you have to support me on…can you?" Clare looked between her parents. "Darcy tried to throw my daughter - your _granddaughter_ - a party for her baptism. And you both _ruined it_."

"Clare Diana Edwards -"

"Obviously I still believe in the Christian way. Even though I went against Church law and had sex before marriage, I still had my baby confirmed, even though her father does not believe in my religion," Clare continued on.

"Please don't drag me into this," Eli pleaded weakly.

Clare shifted the now-sleeping baby in her arms, getting up off the couch. "One day. You couldn't give me one day where I could be in a normal, happy environment." Clare chuckled under her breath humorlessly, then looked at Eli. "Can you pack up the cake and presents, and I'll meet you in the hearse?"

Eli nodded, seeing Helen flinch at the mention of Morty out of the corner of his eye.

Clare buckled Sophia into her car seat, then pulling open the front door. "Oh, by the way," she added, staring straight at her parents. "Don't bother coming to my graduation."

And she closed the door behind her, leaving her parents staring blankly after her.

**Author's Note: Yeah, I'm not sure where I was going with this chapter. I think I was aiming for there to be a bit of tension between everybody, but it eas kind of just random nothingness. xDD ****Review, please! :)**


	7. Survived

**You guys got lucky. I am having a very boring weekend and therefore found the time to write up another chapter. Hope you guys like it! **

7. Survived

Sophia's wails echoed around the apartment, shrill and loud. Eli hurried around the kitchen, attempting to put together a bottle for her.

"Eli, can you please take care of the baby?" Clare snapped, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. "It's hard for me to write a valedictorian speech when I can't focus."

"I'm moving as fast as I can, Clare," Eli muttered, taking the bottle out of the microwave and Clare watching him.

"You're not supposed to microwave the bottles. It makes the milk too hot. I thought you would have known this by now," Clare patronized him.

"Can you stop and just focus on your speech?" Eli rebuked her. "Why did you wait until the last minute to write it anyway?"

"I was a bit preoccupied with taking care of our daughter!"

"Well, I'm sorry that I was too busy _making money _to help you with that!"

Sophia's cries became louder, and Clare groaned, throwing her pencil down on the table. "Eli, do something!" she demanded.

"Dammit, I'm trying!" he shouted, screwing the cap on the bottle and dripping some of the warm milk on the inside of his arm. He hurried into Sophia's room, lifting her out of her crib and sitting down in the rocking chair in the corner.

Eli attempted to put the nipple of the bottle into Sophia's mouth, but she turned her head, refusing to suckle, her hands balled up into fists and her wails ringing in Eli's ears.

"Come on, Soph," Eli grumbled, trying again to put the bottle into Sophia's mouth. Again she refused to take it, shaking her head back and forth as if telling him no.

"Then what do you want?" Eli asked in annoyance. The loudness of his tone made Sophia cry louder, and Eli moaned in frustration.

"Give her to me," Clare told him as she walked into the bedroom. Eli didn't protest, passing the baby to her mother.

Clare slowly rocked the baby in her arms until she was only whimpering, then reached out and took the bottle from Eli. She gently eased it into Sophia's mouth, quietly urging the baby to suckle.

"You didn't bother trying to soothe her, did you?" Clare accused Eli as the baby's whimpers eventually subsided.

"I'm sorry," Eli muttered miserably. He hated that he couldn't do anything for his own daughter, and he knew that Clare thought the same way.

"You're the one who wanted to keep her," Clare reminded him, pulling the bottle out of Sophia's mouth so she could breathe.

"I know."

"So then don't you think you should pick up the slack around here and try to be a better father?"

"Clare, I'm doing the best that I can!"

"Well, I feel like I do everything!"

"So Sophia just takes care of herself the forty hours you're at school every week?"

"I take care of her before I leave. Your job is a piece of cake."

"I still have to feed her and change her while you're gone. I don't just play with her for eight hours."

"You put her down for a nap for three of those eight hours!"

"What more do you want from me? I do all that I can!"

"You know what? Obviously I'm not going to get any peace and quiet in this house," Clare said curtly, carefully placing a lulled-Sophia into her crib. "I am going to spend the night at Alli's house, and hopefully the two of us will be on good terms in the morning. I expect to see you and Sophia at graduation; the tickets are on the fridge for you."

"Clare!" Eli protested, following her into their bedroom. He watched her as she grabbed her gown, dress, and cap, and then pack a sleepover bag.

She slung her bag over her shoulder and her dress and gown over her arm, turning to face Eli. "It's only for tonight," she said softly, a shadow of regret in her eyes. "I just need to focus on writing my speech."

Eli placed one hand on the doorframe, blocking Clare's way. "Promise you'll come back?" he whispered.

Clare nodded cautiously, wondering why Eli was having such a hard time letting her leave. "Of course."

Eli searched her face for a minute, but it felt like eternity to Clare. Finally, Eli admitted her to leave with a sigh, dropping his arm back to his side. Clare scooted past him, then stopped walking, turning to glance back at Eli. He smiled hesitantly at her, though inside he didn't want her to leave. She walked back to him after a moment, kissing his cheek. Clare stared at him for awhile before turning her back on him. Eli waited until he heard the door close quietly that he walked numbly to the couch and sat down.

He didn't like this. He didn't need Clare to be with him all of the time - he wasn't that possessive _(or was he?). _It was the fact that they had just fought. The last time he fought with somebody he loved, she had left him and never come back.

Eli didn't want Clare to have the same fate Julia had. He was afraid to let her leave, afraid that her annoyance with him would cloud her judgment. That she would walk to Alli's house like an idiot instead of calling for a ride. And that in that time, she could get hurt.

Hit by a car. Mugged. Kidnapped. Raped. Killed. The list could go on.

_Eli, you're being paranoid. Why don't you just call her and make sure she's getting a ride?_

_No, don't do that. She just needs a little space and a clear head. Leave her be. She'll be fine. Worry about your daughter. _

Eli looked at the time, and then got up from the couch, taking the baby monitor with him. He checked on Sophia, made sure she was sound asleep, and then retreated to his bedroom.

* * *

_Where is he? _Clare thought to herself as she scanned the crowd of parents. She blew the tassel from her cap out of her face again, craning her neck and searching through the crowd again.

Alli turned around from the front row to look at her. "He'll be here," she reassured her best friend. "He wouldn't miss this unless he wants me to kill him."

Clare bit her bottom lip. She had already seen Darcy, who had thankfully come without Clare's parents. But nobody had heard from or seen Eli.

Principal Simpson stood up from his seat on the stage now, walking up to the podium. "Welcome parents, students, faculty, and friends. Today, we celebrate the journey these students, now adults, have made. A chapter is closing in their life, but a new one is beginning. Thank you, for always being there to support your children in their academic career.

"I would like to invite up our valedictorian to speak next. From the moment she set foot in Degrassi, you could tell there was just something about her. She was amazingly smart for her age, but it wasn't just her brains that made me choose her for valedictorian. She has a kind heart and reaches out to people in need. She was able to maintain her great grades despite everything she has been through this year, and I thought that deserved rewarding. So please, give a warm welcome to Miss Clare Edwards."

The crowd clapped politely as Clare nervously strode up to the podium. She scanned the crowd again and kept in a sigh when she still couldn't find Eli and Sophia. "High school," she began. "One of the most terrifying experiences of my life."

The crowd rippled with noise, some people laughing, others mumbling to each other in confusion.

"I was mocked for singing a hymn and wearing a Catholic school uniform to school in my freshman year," Clare continued. "I was then forced to choose between a close friend and a boy I liked, but when I chose the latter, he eventually left me for one of my friends. I foolishly let them use me once after that, but then I learned to just avoid them."

Clare spotted Jenna and K.C. shift uncomfortably in their seats averting their eyes away from her.

"Sophomore year started with a rumor that I was getting breast enhancements, when I was really only getting laser eye surgery. When nobody noticed my physical change, I felt obscure and unimportant. I thought my years at Degrassi weren't going to get any better. But then…"

Clare trailed off when she caught sight of a moving figure in the crowd. A single laugh echoed around the outdoor lot, and Clare smiled when she saw Sophia's giggling face, her arms outstretched and reaching for her mother. Eli's eyes were burning with pride as he watched Clare, and he smiled encouragingly.

Clare straightened up, picking up where she left off. "But then I met somebody who twisted my life upside down." Her tone strengthened, gained more excitement. "A simple compliment and he brightened my day, made me feel hopeful about the future.

"But one day, I almost lost that hope.

"I realized that life always has a cruel trick up its sleeve. One moment, I was trying to enjoy myself though I was caught in a bad situation, and the next, the most important person in my life was almost taken away from me."

Eli grimaced at the memory of the almost-stabbing. Clare paused to catch her breath, and then continued, trying to hide the quiver in her voice.

"But we powered through it. We faced more obstacles, but each time, our bond - no, our love - overcame it.

"Then I found myself faced with the most difficult challenge of all; parenthood.

"It wasn't part of my plan, to get pregnant at seventeen years old - it never is. I was going to give that baby up for adoption so that I could live my life the way I had planned it.

"But the father, my best friend, my protector, the one who had stuck with me for almost three years - he begged me not to.

"And I knew things would be hard if I kept this little girl. We would both have judged lives, and I would have to venture down an unknown path. Then I remembered that I had survived everything that had been thrown my way so far. And I knew I could do this.

"Now here I stand. Your valedictorian and a mother, and I say to all of the graduates; you can get through anything! Nothing is too hard for you to take on, so long as you believe in yourself. The future may look scary and daunting, but there's no need to be afraid because you're not alone. I wouldn't be here now if it weren't for all of my supportive friends. If it weren't for my one rock." Clare looked at Eli, then whispered, "I love you, Eli. Even though you may think I would be better of on my own, I honestly couldn't live without you."

Clare attempted to fight back the tears that were starting to well in her eyes. "So congratulations, Class of 2013. We made it through!" Clare squealed.

Loud cheers emitted from the crowd, loud applause filling Clare's ears as she returned to her seat.

Clare returned to the stage a few moments later to receive her diploma, shaking hands politely with Mr. Simpson. Clare looked out at the crowd and automatically found Eli's shining face. He was unable to clap with Sophia in his arms, but he whooped and hollered as loudly as he could, chin sticking up in pride.

When everyone had finally received their diplomas, caps had been thrown, and Clare had spoke briefly with Darcy, she found Eli in the throng of people. "Well? How was my speech?" Clare asked bluntly, taking Sophia from Eli and letting the baby play with her cap.

"I am absolutely flattered that you made a shout-out to me," Eli replied, the corner of his mouth twitching up in a smirk.

Clare rolled her eyes. "So it was good then?"

Eli laughed and nodded. "I'm so proud of you. Congratulations," he murmured, ducking down and quickly pecking Clare on the lips.

"Mm. What are you, my father?"

"Ha. Ha. So, are you going out to celebrate? I can watch Sophia if you want to. I'd understand."

"Nah. I'd rather spend this momentous occasion with my family." Clare smiled at him.

"All right, then let's go home."

Clare shifted Sophia to one arm so she could take Eli's hand in hers, and together the little family strolled to the parking lot.

**Author's Note: I honestly wish I could end the story on this note, but I have so many other things that I planned for this story. So enjoy this cute little happiness while you can, dear readers, for it's not going to stay this way. ;) Review, please! **


	8. Nightlife

**Yes, I know, it's been awhile since I've gotten out a chapter! I'm sorry! I was working on my other story and I've just been neglecting this one. But this chapter took a lot of planning...okay, that's a bit of an excuse. I did have a lot I wanted to include in this chapter, and some I didn't even get to. Boo. Well, I'll be making it up with this long chapter though! Enjoy! ;)**

8. Nightlife

"Congratulations!" a voice squealed as soon as the opened the door to their apartment.

"CeCe?" Clare asked, voice stunned. "What are you doing here?"

"Me and Bullfrog just wanted to congratulate you. Didn't we honey?" CeCe looked to her husband, who grunted his agreement.

"Hey, thanks Mom," Eli said as he carefully pushed past Clare who was still standing in the doorway. He placed Sophia's carrier on the kitchen counter, and CeCe automatically ran to it, taking her granddaughter out.

"Hi sweetie pie," she cooed to Sophia, bouncing the baby up and down as the baby giggled.

"Thank her for what?" Clare questioned, looking back and forth between the mother and son.

"Go change out of your gown," Eli instructed her. "Keep on what you have underneath though; you'll want to look formal."

"Okay…"

"Wait; let me change first," Eli said quickly, hurrying to their bedroom and shutting the door.

"Don't take too long!" Clare called to him teasingly, and Bullfrog snickered.

"So…is anybody going to tell me what's going on?" Clare asked as they waited.

"If Eli hasn't told you, then we aren't going to," CeCe said. "Now, are there bottles pre-made in the fridge?"

"Yes, but why do you need -"

"Okay, I'm ready!" Eli announced, his shirt now without the tie and dressed in black jeans instead of suit pants.

"Thank you! Gosh, you take forever!" Clare remarked with a laugh, pulling off her sweat stained blue gown. She brushed her curls with her fingers, re-clipping her bangs into place. "How do I look?"

"Beautiful," CeCe approved.

"Perfect." Eli smiled at his girlfriend, and Clare blushed. Then Eli looped his arm through Clare's, starting to lead her towards the door. "We'll be leaving now then!" Eli announced.

"You remembered to put what I gave you in the hearse, right?" CeCe asked Eli.

Eli nodded quickly, and Clare looked at them with furrowed eyebrows. "What is going on? Tell me!" she demanded.

"Nothing to worry about, darling!" Eli drawled. "See you later, Mom, Dad!"

"Have fun!" Bullfrog grunted.

"Be safe!" CeCe called. "Sophie will be fine with us!"

"I know!" Eli called back, opening the door and leading Clare out. He turned around slightly to close it behind him.

"Eli, I swear, if you don't tell me what we're doing…"

"You are so _impatient,_" Eli mused as they walked out to Morty. They both slid into the hearse, and Eli started it, driving out of the apartment parking lot.

"How did you even plan for us to do anything today? You didn't know if I would say yes or no to having you watch Soph for the day while I went out and partied," Clare asked curiously.

"Clare, do you not know me by now? I have my ways, and I have many tricks and schemes. No matter what you would have said, everything will have worked the way I wanted it to."

"You little devil," Clare mocked the same voice he had used all those years ago before their first date.

Eli flashed her a smile to acknowledge that he remembered the memory she was referring to, then directed his eyes back to the road as he pulled into a parking spot in front of Little Miss Steaks.

"You kept going out for lunch a surprise from me?" Clare asked in disbelief, a hint of disappointment in her tone.

"Clare Edwards, you underestimate me," Eli said with a roll of his eyes, helping her out of Morty. He led her inside the restaurant, and Clare waited until after the waitress had seated them to ask questions.

"What was your mom talking about 'putting something in Morty'?" Clare questioned him.

"Can we save the questions? Just wait and see," Eli said with a sigh.

"You know I hate surprises," Clare huffed.

"Just…just stop. Do not make this day unbearable." There was a light teasing tone in Eli's voice, but he was being dead serious.

Clare narrowed her eyes at him as the waitress returned, taking down their orders. They made small talk while they waited for their food to come, then when it did, they ate in silence.

When they finished, Eli left a ten dollar bill on the table, paid the bill, and led the way back to Morty. He opened the door for her, watching her slide in before going around to his side. He started the hearse and pulled out into the street.

"So. Where to now?" Clare asked simply.

"Just. Wait."

Clare rolled her eyes, turning her head to stare out the window. She watched the landscapes roll past them, then frowned when they pulled into the parking lot of a motel.

"What is this, prom night?" Clare teased, though her stomach leaped as Eli parked the hearse.

"Here." Eli tossed her a card key. "Room 2B. Sit on the bed, close your eyes, and wait for me. I'll be up in a second."

"But -"

"No questions. Just do."

Clare did as she was told, climbing out of Morty and walking about the motel grounds, going up random stairs in search of the room Eli had specified. When she found Room 2B, she slid the key to open it and pushed open the door, leaving it open a crack so Eli could get in. She flopped down onto the bed and closed her eyes, waiting expectantly.

"Gotcha!" a voice shouted, and Clare yelped as a weight landed on her and flung her onto her back. She looked up into Eli's emerald green eyes that were shimmering with playfulness.

"Eli!" Clare shrieked, then succumbed to laughter. Eli laughed with her, not moving from on top of her. "Was that your surprise?" Clare asked in curiosity.

"Oh dear Clare, I have many surprises up my sleeve. This just seemed like a nice thing to do." Eli smirked, ducking down to swiftly press his lips to hers.

Clare kissed him back enthusiastically, then asked when he pulled away, "All right, so that was surprise number one. What's next?"

Eli rolled over off of his girlfriend, then leaped to his feet. Clare giggled into her palm and sat up against the headboard of the bed.

Eli held up a box wrapped in cheesy wrapping paper with a bunch of graduation caps on them. He plopped down next to Clare and handed it over. "For you," he said.

"I didn't know you could wrap!" Clare mocked him.

"This isn't from me. It's from my mom," Eli responded, rolling his eyes.

"Oh," Clare murmured and quickly unwrapped the gift. She pulled of the lid to the box and stared in shock at what it contained. She pulled out the dress, holding it up and assessing it.

It was bright red with thin straps to hold it up. The front dipped down, incredibly low cut. The fabric was smooth, but Clare couldn't place what it was.

"Did she pick it out too?" Clare gasped, but by the look on Eli's face, it was obvious he hadn't known what the present was.

"I'm going to murder that woman," he growled.

"Don't do that," Clare chided him. "She's probably just trying to boost my self-esteem or something by making me 'look sexy.' She's just like Alli."

"You're always sexy to me," Eli told her smoothly, and Clare whacked his arm.

"Stop that. Anyway, I doubt I'll ever have a reason to wear this. It won't do anybody any harm to let it get dusty in my closet," Clare said with a nod.

"Um…actually…" Eli began to say, and Clare looked at him with raised eyebrows. "You'll need to wear that tonight. I don't think what you're wearing is appropriate for where we're going."

"Then why didn't you tell me to change into something when we were at home?"

"Because CeCe assured me that you could wear her gift tonight. I didn't think what she had bought would be so…revealing." Eli eyed the dress again.

"What're we doing tonight, exactly?" Clare questioned.

"You'll just have to wait and see," Eli answered smugly, and Clare groaned.

* * *

"Close your eyes!" Clare's voice commanded from the bathroom.

"But I'm trying to watch TV," Eli whined, smiling to himself.

"Just do it!"

"Somebody's being bossy," Eli grumbled, but he turned off the television set and closed his eyes.

He heard the bathroom door open, and then Clare quietly asked, "All right. How do I look?"

Eli's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets as he took in the sight of his girlfriend. Her normally curly hair was smoothed out into waves, and she had taken out the clip holding back her bangs. The red dress CeCe had bought her clung tightly to her sides, tracing the outline of her curves, and the straps of the dress were almost invisible. It was, as they had thought, extremely low cut, revealing much of Clare's cleavage. She also had on a thin coat of red lipstick, and she had redone her eyeliner to make her blue eyes look wider.

"I…I…wow," Eli breathed, still looking his girlfriend up and down. He hadn't even noticed that she been wearing black stilettos this morning, but with this dress they were more noticeable.

Clare laughed. "I'll take it that you like it then."

Eli scrambled off of the bed, standing up and walking slowly over to her. "I…love it," he finally managed to say. Clare smiled as Eli wrapped his arms around her waist. "But more importantly, I love _you._"

She giggled. "I love you too," she said softly.

"This might get a little complicated," Eli mumbled, indicating her shoes.

"What? Don't like that I'm almost your height now?" Clare mocked him.

Eli rolled his eyes. "Ready to go?"

Clare nodded, and Eli wrapped an arm around her waist and led her to Morty.

"Keep your eyes closed," Eli instructed her as they got into the hearse.

"Ugh, really?" Clare complained.

"I could use a blindfold, if you'd prefer." Eli cocked an eyebrow.

"No thanks," Clare grumbled, closing her eyes with an exaggerated sigh. She kept them closed the entire ride, trying to keep from bouncing in her seat like a little child. When she felt the hearse stop, she asked, "Can I open them now?"

"No. Keep them closed."

Clare waited impatiently, and then her door opened. She felt Eli take her hands, and he murmured, "Just walk, I'll direct."

Clare took hesitant steps forward, trusting Eli to keep her safe. As she took more steps, the sound of music became louder and louder, the beats pulsing and throbbing in her ears.

"Name?" a gruff voice asked.

"Goldsworthy with a plus one," Eli told him.

Clare heard the sound of ruffling papers, and then the man said, "Go ahead."

Eli led Clare forward, and now the best of whatever song was playing was reverberating inside of her head and making her ears ache.

"Okay, open." Eli's lips were on her ear, and she shivered but did so.

"You took me clubbing?" Clare asked in disbelief, looking around the large room. Neon colored lights were flaring around the room, strobe lights flickered on and off around the large room. The dance floor was packed with people, and off to the side were decent-sized sitting areas to eat and such. "I didn't think this was your scene."

"I have a scene?" Eli raised an eyebrow at her, and she shook her head and continued to take in her surroundings.

"Hey, over here!" a voice called to them from one of the lounging areas.

Alli was beaming at them, her arm draped around Adam's shoulders. Fiona was watching them warily as she brought a Fiji bottle to her lips, which Clare assumed didn't contain water. K.C. and Jenna were also resting on the couch, K.C.'s arm wrapped tightly around his girlfriend.

Eli and Clare made their way over to their friends, and Alli hugged her best friend with one arm as Eli and Adam fist-bumped each other. Fiona, Jenna, and K.C. all waved at them lazily.

"I'm so glad you could make it!" Alli squealed, jumping up and down a few times and causing Adam to shake.

"I didn't even know about this," Clare informed her, shooting a mock glare at Eli. "He refused to tell me where we were going."

"You and your surprises," Adam chuckled, addressing Eli.

"Clarebear, you look _amazing_!" Jenna gaped at Clare's dress, and K.C.'s eyes traveled up and down Clare's body.

"Hey, Wannabe Bieber, watch it," Eli warned him, and both K.C. and Clare blushed, Jenna hitting her boyfriend's arm.

"Where did you get such a dress?" Alli added, mouth hanging open. "That's too sexy to be found in even my closet!"

"It was a…a present from Eli's mom," Clare mumbled.

Fiona's eyebrows raised delicately. "Well, she has good taste. You look stunning."

"Th-thank you."

"Well, are we going to go dance or not?" Alli asked, impatience sharp in her tone. She unwound herself from Adam and grabbed Clare's hand, pulling her out onto the dance floor. Jenna looked up at K.C., and when he shook his head, she sighed irritably and beckoned for Fiona. They both rose and walked out to the floor to join the other two girls.

Adam and Eli flopped onto the spaces in the couch that Fiona and Jenna had currently inhabited, and Adam reached for her 'water' bottle, beginning to unscrew the cap.

"Adam!" Eli chastised him as the boy took a swig from the bottle.

"Dude, I'm out of high school forever. I'm ready to celebrate!" Adam half-cheered. "Besides, you can't say you've never had a drink before, and you therefore have no right to say anything."

"Yeah. Don't judge," K.C. grunted, extending a hand. Adam passed him the bottle, and he took a long drink from it.

"Should Fiona even have alcohol on her?" Eli asked, eyes on the bottle as K.C. passed it back to Adam.

"She's been clean for awhile now," Adam pointed out. "She deserves to act like every other young adult and have a drink every once in awhile. Plus, I'll be watching her. I won't let her get out of hand."

K.C. snickered. "You sound like you could be her mom."

Adam's face flushed in embarrassment and slight anger, and Eli quickly said, "I'm sure he wasn't implying _that._"

K.C. blinked, realizing his mistake, and then blushed for the second time in the past few minutes. "I wasn't! I swear!"

Adam blinked at him too, and the nodded wearily. He drunk from the bottle again, but then it was snatched out of his hands by Eli.

"Hey!" he protested, pouting.

"I haven't had a drink yet." Eli smirked, swirling the contents of the bottle around.

"Sharing is caring!" K.C. piped up, and Adam shot him a glare.

Eli laughed once and then brought the bottle to his lips, gulping down the champagne inside. He swallowed hard, then held out the bottle for either of the boys to take.

After a good twenty minutes and a lot of passing around, the girls made their way back over to them. Clare was surprised to find Eli laughing it up with K.C. and Adam, but then saw Fiona's empty water bottle in his lap.

"Hey! That was mine!" Fiona complained, indicating the bottle. "Why'd you drink it all?"

"We got thirsty," K.C. said matter-of-factly, then burst out into fits of laughter.

Fiona opened her mouth to begin a full-on lecture, but Adam stood up suddenly, taking her hand. "Let's go dance," he suggested, and before she could say anything, he led her away again.

"How about you come dance with me, Eli," Clare told him. It wasn't a suggestion; it was more of a demand. Eli sighed and stood up, following her out onto the dance floor just a little bit away from Fiona and Adam.

The song playing was a hip hop song; a woman singing about her sex appeal, Eli noted. He wasn't much of a dancer, and he wasn't sure if Clare was either. He stared at her, waiting for her to move or instruct him on what to do.

"You honestly haven't danced before?" Clare asked him, looking a tad disappointed at Eli's unmoving stature.

"I prefer not to," he answered dryly. "I only brought you here tonight so you could have fun with your friends."

Clare took a step closer to him so that their bodies were pressed together. "But I want to have fun with you," she murmured, and the way she said it made the hairs on the back of Eli's neck stand up.

Suddenly she turned around, pressing her backside even closer to Eli. As the music began to pick up, she wrapped one arm around Eli's neck and began dancing against him. Eli was stunned by her sudden suggestive dancing, but place his hands on her hips, letting her sway him slightly as she danced. Never in a million years had he seen either of them doing this at this moment in time in this place. Never.

But yet here they were.

Clare tossed her head occasionally from side to side, and she dropped down to the ground, then slid back up across Eli's body slowly. He gulped, trying to erase the dirty thoughts stirring in his head.

Another minute of this dancing went by before Clare tilted her head back and to the side slightly to press her lips against Eli's neck. She stood up on her tiptoes so that her lips could reach his ear, and she whispered, "Want to go back to the hotel?"

Eli nodded quickly, trying to ignore his growing problem. Clare must have noticed this and figured it best to leave; so then why was she teasing him?

Or maybe she was really being seductive and wanted to be alone with him.

The idea made Eli's eyes widen slightly, and Clare grinned. They called a hurried goodbye to their friends, who were bemused by their rush to leave. Clare took the driver's seat this time, still thinking rationally even when they were in this kind of mood, and hit the gas, quickly driving them back to the motel.

**Author's Note: I'm not sure how I intend on starting the next chapter; start it with them waking up in the morning or with them arriving at the motel? I don't know. I don't think I want to plan anything right now. xD I hope you guys liked this chapter! Review, please! :)**


	9. Mistake

**A kind of short chapter. I know it took me forever to write this, but I've been super busy the past two months. This chapter is supposed to be kind of climatic, though I think I failed at making it super climatic. Oh well. You guys will enjoy it anyway. Hopefully. **

9. Mistake

Their lips were already on each other's as they burst open the motel room door. Eli pressed Clare up against the wall, kicking the door closed without moving away from her. He pinned her wrists above her head, moving his lips down her throat. Clare moaned, and Eli felt even more turned on. He reached behind her and quickly unzipped her dress, and Clare gasped.

"E-Eli!" she began to protest. "W-we can't -"

"Shh," Eli murmured, silencing her by pressing his lips to hers. He dropped one hand to the button of his jeans, the other still holding Clare's wrists together. He fumbled with the button and zipper, and then sloppily brought his lips back to Clare's.

Clare's fingers wove themselves in his hair, and suddenly Eli had flipped her around, then backing them up so that they tumbled onto the bed, with him on top of her. Clare pulled away from Eli for a second so she could look up at him.

"What's wrong?" Eli breathed, eyebrows furrowing.

"N-nothing," Clare stammered, sitting up just slightly. Before Eli could get in another word, she put a hand on the back of his neck and brought his face back down to hers.

Eli pulled down the straps of her dress and she shimmied out of it as he kicked off his pants. They had only done this once before - when Sophia was conceived - and Eli was eager to try again, now that Clare was much more willing to.

Clare pressed a gentle kiss on his Adam's apple, and Eli groaned. His lips attacked her neck, and he placed a trail of kisses leading from her neck down to her shoulder, and then kissed along her shoulder.

As his kisses traveled lower and lower, Clare wove her fingers through his hair. He placed a light kiss on her inner thigh, and Clare tugged on his hair, causing him to moan.

"I love you, Eli," she gasped as she felt him hook his fingers in her underwear.

"I love you, Clare," he murmured before pulling them down.

* * *

Eli rested his head carefully on Clare's bed sheet-covered chest, his breathing coming irregularly. Clare herself was breathing heavily, her fingers running through Eli's dark locks repeatedly.

"That was…that was…" she struggled to come up with something to say.

"Amazing?" Eli substituted.

"I don't even know if that covers it," she whispered, and they both laughed faintly.

"It was…better than the first time," Eli said slowly.

"Yes. At least, I think so," Clare agreed, though sounding a little unsure.

Eli chuckled at her uncertainty. "You don't remember our first time?"

He felt her body grow warm under his check as she flushed in embarrassment. "No I - I do! I just…I wasn't really sure what to think or feel then. Now I…I do," she explained.

"And?"

"It was…wonderful."

Eli grinned to himself. "Well, I do try to make it so."

"Oh, do you? Well thanks for putting in all that effort," Clare mocked.

"Effort?" Eli gasped. "So you lied?"

"What? No! I meant thanks for putting in all that effort, because it paid off," Clare quickly corrected herself.

Eli chuckled. "I know, Clare, I know."

Clare made a face. "I hate when you play around with me. I can never tell the difference between when you're using sarcasm and when you're being serious."

"Even after three years together, you still can't tell?"

"Well, you're very hard to read," Clare explained.

"Touché," Eli agreed.

They lapsed into silence, the only sounds they could hear was their quiet breathing. Clare continued to run her fingers through Eli's hair as she lost herself to her thoughts.

Eli was beginning to fall asleep when he felt Clare jump suddenly. He pulled his head off of her chest and looked at her through tired eyes.

"Eli…" she asked slowly, her voice slightly shaky. "Did you…did you have…did you use…_protection _just now?"

"I think you would have known if I did," Eli answered sleepily, giving her a tired smirk.

"_Elijah!" _Clare practically shrieked as she sat up, startling Eli back to being fully awaken.

Eli blinked at her, his green eyes wide, baffled. "What? What is it?"

"You didn't use a _condom?" _she yelled, panic etched onto her face.

"I wasn't expecting us to…and we were so caught up in the moment…" Eli stammered, trying to make up for what he did.

"That's what happened the last time! And do you know what happened because of that? We had a _baby, _Eli!" Clare hid her face in her hands. "Oh no, no, no, no, no."

"Clare, listen, it's going to be fine. There's not that big of a chance that you can get pregnant again -" Eli tried to reassure her, but she cut him off.

"Not that big of a chance? It only takes _one, _Eli!" Clare said hysterically.

Eli couldn't help but laugh. "Where did you get that? Health class?"

Clare blushed furiously, but her hysteria was transforming into anger. "Eli…" she began again, trying to keep her voice steady, "…why would you have sex with me if you knew you didn't have a condom on you? Why would you be so irresponsible?"

"Clare, I'm sorry," Eli apologized, looking into her eyes and begging that she would forgive him. Staring into her eyes usually rendered Clare defenseless, and she would give in.

But this time Clare broke off their gaze, looking away from him as fury began to fuel her actions. "We need to go," she said coldly.

Hurt, Eli asked, "Where?"

"To the drugstore. I need to get a morning after pill," Clare said, voice cracking. Emergency contraception was seen as abortion in the Church's eyes, for it killed the embryo as it is being formed. It wasn't something Clare was a hundred percent willing to do, but there was no other option now.

Eli's eyes widened even more. "But, Clare -"

"Just take me!" Clare snapped. "..Before I change my mind."

Eli frowned at her but pushed himself off of the bed, allowing Clare to get up. She kept the bed sheet wrapped around her as she stood up, and they stared at each other for awhile before Clare narrowed her eyes.

"Do you mind looking away so I can dress?" she asked, her tone clipped.

Eli did so unwillingly, pulling on his own clothes and feeling suddenly detached from his girlfriend. He had assumed that since they were raising a child together, living in the same home, and having sex (whether it was on a regular basis or not) that she would be okay with him seeing her naked. Maybe he was guessing wrong.

"Okay. Let's go," Clare commanded, and Eli turned around to see her already walking out of the motel room. With a sigh, he slowly followed after her, grabbing the keycard and closing the door behind him.

She was already waiting inside of Morty as he reached the hearse. He got in slowly, quietly closing the door and sitting still, hands gripped on the steering wheel and staring at Clare.

Finally, she turned her head to look at him. "Well? Are you going to drive, or do I have to?"

Still stunned by her coldness, Eli pulled out of the parking lot and tried to remember where the nearest drugstore was. He drove around the empty streets of Toronto, parking on the side of the street when he found one. He smiled slightly to himself when he realized where he was; they were at the store that had their bench in front of it. It was the same as Eli remembered it.

Clare was opening the passenger side door as soon as the hearse stopped, and Eli quickly called to her, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No," Clare answered curtly and slammed the door, clutching her bare arms as the cold night air hit her skin.

Eli watched her walk into the drugstore, which was luckily still open. He looked through it's grimy, scratched windows as she walked through the aisles, unsure of what she was looking for. An employee came up to her, and they exchanged a few words before the man left and then came back a minute later with a box. He handed it to Clare, and then he led her to the check-out, where she pulled out her wallet and handed him a bill. The man waved a goodbye to her, which Clare ignored as she stared down at the box and began to walk out of the shop.

Eli leaned over and opened her door for her, and Clare slid in and closed it behind her, still reading over the instructions on the box. She then opened the box and popped the two pills into her hand. Clare stared at them for a long while before glancing at Eli.

"Do you have any water?" she asked quietly, and for once not sounding angry.

Eli looked around and reached under the chair, his hand closing around a plastic bottle. He pulled it out and twisted off the cap, handing the open bottle to Clare. She placed the two pills on her tongue and took a long swig of water, swallowing hard. Her nose wrinkled at the foul taste, and she took another drink of water.

"Ready to go back to the motel?" Eli asked after they sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Do you think you could check out early? I want to go home," Clare said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I can't check out until noon," Eli informed her, a trace of smugness in his tone. She couldn't get away from him that easily, and if she had to sleep with him tonight, then they would probably make up and she wouldn't be mad at him anymore.

Clare's expression changed to one of frustration, and she groaned inwardly. Eli felt his stomach churn, not liking this reaction. "Fine. Whatever. Let's just go back then."

Frowning again, Eli turned Morty around and drove back to the motel, slowing down the ride in hopes that Clare would say something to him. However, she was beginning to look a little queasy, and she propped her elbow up on the window sill and hid her face in her hand. Seeing this made Eli decide to speed up, not wanting Clare to get sick in the hearse.

The moment they reached the motel and Eli had pulled into a parking space, Clare jumped out of Morty and was racing to their room. Eli, knowing that he had the keycard, quickly followed after her, opening the door for her. She barreled through the doorway and pushed open the bathroom door, and Eli cringed when he heard the terrible retching sounds emitting from the room.

Eli closed the motel room door and took his clothes off again, changing into sweatpants. He flopped down onto the bed they had used earlier, closing his eyes and trying to block out the sounds of Clare's vomiting. It brought back too many memories of him listening to the same sounds a few weeks after their first time, too many feelings of fear and worrying about what her symptoms meant.

He opened an eye when he heard quiet footsteps walk back into the room, and Clare stripped out of her clothes. She reached for the pajamas Eli had packed for her and turned her back to Eli as she changed. When she was done and had turned back around, Eli opened his arms, indicating for her to come lie with him. Clare looked at him for a moment before turning away and lying down on the other, clean bed.

Eli felt a stab at his heart, and he wanted to apologize, but he knew better than to do it when she was being stubborn. He guessed that she would be cooled off in the morning, and then she would be more willing to accept his apology.

Clare reached over and turned off the lamp that was on the nightstand between their two beds, turning the room pitch black. Eli turned his body on its side so he could look at Clare and trace the outlines of her figure through the darkness. It felt too strange to not have her body pressed against his, to not have her curve into him as if their bodies were meant to be one. He felt lonely in this huge bed, too alone for his liking.

Softly, Eli called, "Good night, Clare."

Clare was still facing him, but she had her eyes closed. She slowly opened them and looked at the dark shape of his figure. She sighed. "Good night, Eli."

After a minute, Eli whispered, "I love you."

But instead of replying, Clare turn over to lie on her other side, leaving Eli to stare at her backside. He waited for her to say it back, but she never did, and Eli knew she wasn't asleep.

_We never go a night without saying we love each other. What's wrong with her?_

**Author's Note: Yes, so, this chapter is supposed to bring out more of Eli and Clare's struggles with being responsible adults now. It's kind of showing how being parents has changed their way of thinking and affected their actions, and how they can't be as free as they want to be. Now, the main question is Will things get better or worse for them from here? One can only wait and see! Haha, review, please! :)**


	10. Two Months Later

**Sorry this took me so long to update! It's funny, I'd been waiting and waiting to write this chapter, and I had so many ideas for it, but then when it came to writing it, I drew a blank. So this is kind of short, and maybe a bit confusing, and yeah. Enjoy anyway though!**

10. Two Months Later

Eli was careful to keep quiet as he slowly unlocked the apartment door, tiptoeing in through the doorway and praying his shoes wouldn't make much noise on the wooden floor.

The place was dark, and Eli was relieved. Maybe Clare was asleep, and he wouldn't have to worry about getting into some random argument with her after he'd just gotten home.

He gently laid his keys on the table and was shrugging out of his jacket when he heard a voice say, "You're home late."

Eli kept in a groan as the living room light turned on. He turned to see Clare glaring at him, her arms folded over her chest.

"Well, I do work the late shift," Eli retorted.

"But you're supposed to be off work by eleven, and it's past midnight, Eli," Clare pointed out. "Don't try to tell me it takes you an hour to drive home. Don't even try."

Eli sighed. "I had to stay an extra half hour to help load up some equipment. There's some sort of festival that's going on tomorrow and -"

"Save it, Eli. I know what's really going on here," Clare interrupted.

Eli's eyebrows rose. "Oh?"

Clare took a few quick strides forward and was suddenly in front of Eli, leaning down and sniffing his shirt. "You smell like cheap perfume," she informed him coldly, straightening up and glaring at him.

Eli's eyebrows rose higher. "There aren't only guys working at the station, you know."

"Don't you pull that with me, Eli! Who is she?" Clare demanded, eyes blazing.

"Clare, I'm not cheating on you," Eli told her, taking on a defensive tone.

"Do I have to kiss you, Eli, to see if I can taste her on your lips? How far do I have to go before you quit the lies? You have been coming home later and later everyday, and it's suspicious!"

"Kiss me then, Clare! I've been begging you for intimacy for two months! Please, kiss me, I dare you!" Eli exclaimed, but keeping his voice low.

"See! Right there! You just exposed yourself!" Clare pointed a finger at him accusingly. "I haven't been giving you intimacy, so you've sought it from someone else, haven't you? _Haven't you?_"

"No!" Eli insisted, sighing in exasperation. "Clare -"

"Why can't you just admit it?" Clare shouted in frustration.

Eli suddenly took Clare's face in his hands and swiftly pressed his lips to hers. He waited for the feeling of warmth that was supposed to be surging over him now.

But this felt wrong. Why did it feel so wrong?

Clare's hands were against his chest, and Eli was pleased that she was going to give in. But then he was being forced away from her, and his lips separated from hers. Eli barely had time to react when he suddenly felt a force against his cheek, causing it to sting, and a large cracking sound echoed around the room.

Eli blinked, bringing a hand to his reddening face and rubbing it with his fingertips. Anger was plain on Clare's features, and her hand was still hovering in midair defensively.

"What…?" Eli asked hoarsely, not able to get out a full question.

"How _dare _you!" Clare hissed. "You had no right to do that!"

"I'm your _boyfriend, _the _father of your child. _Why am I not allowed to kiss the girl I love?" His voice cracked, feeling confused.

"Stop that!" Clare shouted, and the loudness in her voice startled him. "Don't do this to me! Don't make me believe that you love me when you're cheating on me!"

"Clare, _I'm not! _Stop being so paranoid!" Eli snapped.

Clare nodded her head a few times. "Paranoid. Right." She chuckled humorlessly to herself. "There's no other explanation for your behavior, Elijah!"

"My behavior?" Eli repeated, raising his eyebrows.

"You're so distant! You don't help out much with Sophia, you never look at me with affection anymore, and you spend as much time at work as you possibly can! I feel so abandoned and betrayed by you!" Clare cried.

"I need to make us money! I need to work as much as I can so we can pay off our bills and take care of Sophia! Why do you doubt me so much?"

"It's hard for me not to after…graduation night," Clare croaked.

Eli's eyes narrowed. "You doubt me because I didn't have a condom? Really, Clare?"

Clare's face flushed red in anger. "Don't judge me on why I judge you!"

"You're making no sense!" Eli exclaimed. "I don't understand your point in this argument, and to be honest, I don't know why we're arguing at all. This is stupid! You're making up all of these crazy scenarios in your head that aren't true! Just shut up, Clare, and have some faith in me for once!"

Clare's crimson face paled, and she blinked at him. After a moment, her blank expression changed to one of pain and anger even worse than before. "I'm done," she told him coldly, backing away from him.

Eli didn't process the words; it wasn't until she retreated into their room where he heard loud banging that he began to panic. But before he could go see what Clare was up to, a loud wail rose up and echoed around the apartment. Eli let out a yell without comprehendible words and stormed into Sophia's room. He looked into the crib, where the baby was thrashing around, mouth open wide as she let out repeated cries.

"Sh, Soph, it's okay," Eli tried to calm her, his voice suddenly soft, reaching down and picking her up gently. He held her against his chest, her wails ringing in his ear. "Come on, Sophie, please don't do this right now."

Her cries continued, and Eli groaned in frustration. Eli heard a door slam, and automatically he hurried out of the room, still holding Sophia.

Clare was back in the living room, but with a suitcase in her hand and a solemn expression on her face. Eli's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to process the sight, a frown crossing his face. Clare stared back at him, then her gaze flashed to Sophia, and a trace of regret and pain could be seen in her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Eli asked, his voice barely audible.

"I'm sorry. But I can't do this anymore." Her voice cracked, and she turned her head away so he wouldn't see her rapidly blinking back tears.

"Clare, you can't just -" Eli began to protest, but was cut off by Sophia's wails increasing in volume.

Clare flinched at the sound but began backing up towards the door. "I'm sorry…" she whispered as her hand reached around behind her, trying to find the doorknob.

"_You can't leave me!" _Eli roared, his voice raising and making Sophia quiet down in fear.

A mixture of emotions flashed across Clare's face; hurt, sadness, regret, longing, fear, and despair being some of them. But her emotions were quickly replaced with a cold mask, and her hand gripped the doorknob tightly. "One of us was bound to go sometime," she told him, tone clipped. "I'm just glad I was the one who one came to my senses first. This was _never_ going to work out, Eli."

Eli watched her in disbelief as she turned her back on him and pulled open the apartment door. Quickly, she stepped out of the doorway and slammed the door behind her.

The apartment was silent for a few moments, and then Sophia's crying picked back up, her shrieks echoing around the empty place. Eli just stood in the middle of the living room, body frozen and unable to process what was going on.

After a minute, his face crumbled, his body slumping, and it took a lot of strength for him to stay standing. His legs were trembling violently, and a strange noise emitted from his throat that resembled a strangled cat. Eli hid his face on the top of Sophia's head, and her crying became louder as his hot tears fell onto her soft head.

They both could already feel the loss of Clare in their lives, and Eli clutched tightly onto his daughter, the only thing he had left of the woman he loved.

**Author's Note: Wahhh. DX It was so hard for me to put emotion into this chapter, and this was the chapter I needed some of the most emotion in. So I'm kind of upset with myself that this didn't turn out quite like I wanted it. But oh well, what am I going to do? Don't worry though guys - the story isn't over yet. Though you might have to be patient with me; I'm starting school soon and the work is going to be intense, so I won't have too much time for writing. :\ Anyway, review, please! :)**


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